November Daring Bakers Challenge

Catherine of Munchie Musings was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert – the delicious Sans Rival cake! And for those of us who wanted to try an additional Filipino dessert, Catherine also gave us a bonus recipe for Bibingka which comes from her friend Jun of Jun-blog.

Sadly this is a picture-less post. The Sans Rival is a lovely dessert I am sure. My problem was the French buttercream and its need for a candy thermometer. If anyone remembers the candy challenge, you will know that is my downfall. It remains unconquered.

I neglected to take any pictures because I was too busy trying to get the rock candy sugar concoction out of my KitchenAid mixer bowl. I never had a chance to try it again, and honestly I am not sure I would have due to the whole thermometer phobia.

I will chalk this up as a disaster and get ready for December.

Clearance Flowers

I love flowers. They make me smile and brighten up the yard. Finding great flowers at wonderful prices makes me smile even more. I bought all of these flowers last week for $13 (plus tax).

All of them are in very good condition. I was especially happy about the mums. I wanted this color earlier in the fall but could not find them at a price I liked. By waiting I got a larger mum for less money!

Handmade Stationery

I have recently gotten hooked on making stationery using rubber stamps. My favorites are by Imaginisce. They have such cute individual collections that are perfect for stationery. I buy a package of thicker copy paper and the pages in half. That gives me 1,000 sheets of paper for $5. They I can start stamping.

First up I have examples of what I did for Halloween. I decided to stick with black and white. Next year I want to find some orange paper which I think will really make the images pop.

The next set is a circus theme. I decided to color these images. My husband gave me his old set of artist's colored pencils - a wider variety of colors.

None of it is particularly fancy, but it makes me smile. I hope it has the same effect on the people who receive my letters. I am currently working on some fall designs.

October Daring Bakers' Challenge - Povitica

The Daring Baker's October 2011 Challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

Prior to this challenge I had never heard of Povitica much less tasted it. I went with the traditional filling using walnuts. I tried to keep the dough a bit sticky as suggested by other bakers. My dough was a bit too sticky and rolling it out was a nightmare. I thought I was never going to get it into the pan. At that point I did not have high hopes for my Povitica. In spite of all the problems, it baked up quite well.

The longer it was in the refrigerator the better it tasted. I will most likely make this again in the future. Hopefully next time the dough will be easier to work, and I can get more swirls in my bread. To see the recipe and my fellow bakers' finished breads, check out The Daring Kitchen.

Fall Garden

I am blessed that my area allows me to have spring and fall gardens. I am even happier that I have been growing the fall garden organically this year. Everyone told me that I could not grow many of my vegetables without pesticides. I am thrilled that I have not had to use a single drop and my plants are thriving!

These tomato plants are actually the spring plants. I have babied them and trimmed back the dead growth. I am being rewarded with more tomatoes. If the weather stays mild, I will have a good second harvest.

This eggplant is also left from the summer. I honestly do not know why I plant them. No one really likes them. I think this will be my last year. Hopefully I can find someone to give this to so it will not go to waste.

We have been eating quite a few cucumbers from the three plants I have. We have never had homegrown cucumbers in October before. I think they are better than the spring cucumbers.

The zucchini are looking good but growing very slowly. I hope to get at least three from these plants. I have eaten all of the cranberry-zucchini muffins from the freezer. They were so yummy, and I cannot bear not having them again until next spring.

Last are these yellow squash. They will actually be half yellow and half green when ready. They are growing very, very slowly. I do not know how much longer I can hold out before I pick them.

This past weekend I planted lettuce and carrot seeds. I also planted the greenhouse tomato and pepper seeds. I am trying to get three gardens this year by growing some vegetables in my greenhouse over the winter.

Fascinating!

I love wearing funky hair ornaments commonly known as fascinators. I had been purchasing ready made ones but recently decided to try making my own. I started off with feathers and added a jeweled piece which was originally made for a necklace. An alligator clip on the back gave me a couple of one of a kind fascinators.

Fall Decorations

A good friend living in England has been asking me to post some photos of my fall decorations on the front porch. I had two lovely, large pumpkins that turned into a pile of mush. I was waiting on a produce coupon before I bought a replacement pumpkin.

Aside from the newly purchased pumpkin, this is a very frugal decoration. The cornstalks are from our summer garden. The bale of hay was free from my dad. It is too old for him to feed to his goats. The scarecrow was leftover from last year. The other pumpkins and gourds are from my garden.

September Daring Bakers' Challenge - Croissants!

The Daring Bakers go retro this month! Thanks to one of our very talented non-blogging members, Sarah, the Daring Bakers were challenged to make Croissants using a recipe from the Queen of French Cooking, none other than Julia Child!

I was so excited to see this month's challenge. Croissants have been on my baking wish list for some time now. This was the extra shove I needed to actually try them. I love making breads and not to brag but I tend to be pretty good at it. I make all of the crescent rolls each time my church has a dinner. (I currently have 144 in the freezer waiting to be baked for a dinner on Sunday.)

The recipe's steps look very intimidating. While croissants are time consuming, I found the recipe itself to be very simple. I did it over the course of a day. I would like to try it again and spread the steps out over two or three days. I think having the extra rising time at the end would improve the layers.

My only complaint about the recipe was the amount of salt. I suppose that if I were not eating a low-sodium diet (by choice) I would never notice. Since I am not used to much salt however, it was all I could taste. I had hoped to try the recipe again this month with half the salt but never had the time. I will definitely make them again soon. I know I need additional practice. For a first attempt though I was very pleased.

Thank you, Sarah, for a wonderful challenge and for the extra push to get me to actually make them rather than just dream about making them!

Jalapeno Poppers

I have one jalapeno plant this year, but it has produced well. The problem is that my poor jalapeno peppers are not spicy at all. I was determined to use them to make a healthier version of poppers.

I sliced each of the peppers in half (leaving many of the seeds and most of the membrane). In a small bowl I combined cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. I stuffed this mixture into the pepper halves.

Next I rolled each stuffed pepper in flour, egg, and finally panko bread crumbs. I then put the tray of completed poppers in the freezer.

To bake I preheated the oven to 425 degrees. I cooked them for 12 minutes, but they would have been better at 16 minutes. Next time I will add more cheddar cheese and hopefully have spicier peppers. Overall I am pleased with this recipe and will use it again.

Beach Trip

At the end of last month my husband and I were able to go to the beach for a couple of days. The weather was lovely. Since school was in session, the beach was practically empty. Here are a few shots from our trip.

Homemade Gummi Candy

I mentioned earlier that I had found a candy recipe that I liked. The main reason is that it was so easy. I made homemade gummi candy.

All that is needed is a 3 ounce package of Jello, two packages of unflavored gelatin, and 1/3 cup of water. You also need candy molds.

Put the water in a saucepan, sprinkle on the Jello and gelatin, and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Then heat until the mixture melts. I poured it into a glass measuring cup to make filling the molds easier. Let sit for 20 minutes (or 10 minutes in the refrigerator).

One recipe filled two candy molds. I did have to put mine in the refrigerator to help it set since the kitchen was so hot. They were fairly easy to remove from the molds. It did require some pulling, but this is no way damaged the designs. I tried some Christmas designs as a test for the upcoming holidays. I can definitely see myself making these more often for the children (and adults) in my life. My husband declared them yummy.

More Note Cards

I am still making note cards. Here are a few of the latest creations. I have a bunch of busy patterned pages of scrapbooking paper. It is gorgeous but never seems quite right for the style of layouts I like to do. Most of this was received in clearanced grab bags. While I usually got plenty of useful items, I did have more than enough of the wilder patterns. I think the cards are turning out cute.

August Daring Bakers' Challenge

The August 2011 Daring Bakers' Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, and Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?!. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at http://www.chocoley.com offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy!

The challenge required the DBs to make two candies. The first had to be a chocolate candy: truffle, dipped bonbon or filled bonbon. The second could be any candy.

I need to start off by saying that I hate, hate, hate(!) to make candy. I think that is obvious from how my candies turned out. My heart was just not in this challenge. I really do not eat that much candy. I find making it to be a very tedious chore. Needless to say I did not take part in the special challenge. Truthfully I just wanted it over and done.

For the chocolate candy I chose the truffle. My main reasoning behind it was that I could do a small batch of them. I used a Ghirardelli chocolate and the recipe, which I halved, on the back of the chocolate bar. I then rolled them in organic cocoa. The end result was less that pretty. They did taste good. Good enough for me to make them again?? At this point, no. One day candy making may intrigue me, but I am not there yet.


For the second candy I decided to be really daring and make one that required a candy thermometer. Why? I am still asking myself that same question. I chose sponge candy. The reason I despise making candy is mainly due to the candy thermometer. This particular candy reminded me exactly why I do not use one. I should have gone with how it looked rather than temperature as my thermometer was way off. The resulting candy tasted burnt with an aftertaste of baking soda. Two tiny bites were eaten, and the rest went into the trash.

I completed the challenge and am happy about that. I do not have a love of candy making though. I am just thrilled to have it behind me. Bring on September's challenge!!

I did end up finding a candy that I liked and could successfully make. I will save that post for the coming week.

Tale of the Travelling Cardstock

I live in the land of no craft stores. This is good for my budget as I fear I would spend too much time and money shopping for craft supplies. It is bad when I do need something for a project. I have to order it online. I needed (okay, wanted) some cardstock for making Halloween and Christmas cards. I ordered what I needed (at this point, I really did need it) and waited for it to arrive.

The eBay seller shipped it quickly, and the item went to the local mail distribution center. Then it seemed to vanish. Little did I know, my package of cardstock was planning an island, beach vacation. Twelve days later it popped up in Puerto Rico. Now I have never lived in Puerto Rico. Nothing in my address hints at Puerto Rico. Secretely I do want to live on an island. I do not wish, however, to live vicariously through a stack of paper. The cardstock spent a few days on the island before being sent back to my local mail distribution center and finally to my mailbox.

I was happy to find that the seller had packaged it extra well. The outer box showed signs of being a world traveler, but the cardstock itself was in perfect condition. While I have yet to make it to the beach this summer, my cardstock did.

Food Waste

I have given up on calling it Food Waste Friday since I cannot seem to get around to posting it on Friday. This week I tossed quite a bit of fruit into the compost pile. The bag of grapes had gotten in the bottom of the produce bin. They did not look bad at first glance but were slimy. The bag of nectarines was a disappointment. I was not aware that fruit could be under-ripe and rotten/over-ripe at the same time.

Not pictured is some lettuce that went to the chickens. I like to give them fruits and vegetables so I am not going to count that completely as food waste. Since I had plenty of happy hens, it hardly seems a wate.

Note Cards

I love writing letters but have trouble finding pretty stationery. I have decided instead to make my own. I only need to buy heavyweight white paper which I cut in half. Decorating the front is easy since I have tons and tons of scrapbooking supplies. This gives me an opportunity to use up some of the stuff and end up with something I need and can use. As a bonus my friends can look forward to receiving some special cards.

Food Waste Friday on Saturday

I never got around to posting my weekly food waste yesterday. To make matters worse the batteries in my camera were dead. This week you just get a list of wasted foods.

one chicken tender
plum
one mushroom
leftover beans (about a cup)
cream (less than 1/4 cup)

I guess that is not too awful, but I want to make sure I keep it under control. I hate the thought of wasting as much as I did in past weeks. Being accountable for it has definitely helped.

Menu Plan Monday

I have gotten lax again about menu planning and it has shown in my grocery spending in the past two weeks. This week the plan is to eat from the pantry/freezer. I want to save a portion of my grocery budget for later. I am planning to spend part of it to stock up on a few items. (I am going to a store that I rarely visit which does have better prices on some items.) It feels quite silly to be spending money when I already have enough food on hand for plenty of meals.

Here is my plan for the week:

Pizza
fish, salad, baked sweet potato fries
crab egg salad
sloppy joes, fries
spaghetti, salad, garlic bread
tuna pasta salad
tacos
pancakes/waffles, sausage
tomatoes, sausage, & pasta and corn bread
steak, potatoes, salad

I will probably need to pick up some lettuce this week and maybe some fresh vegetables or fruit. I have everything else on hand. I am also trying to limit my food waste. After cleaning out the fridge this weekend it is obvious I need to do better at using up what I have. I will share that at the end of the week.

From the Yard - Day 3

I thought I would share a couple of my favorite zinnias. Zinnias are easy to grow, but I prefer the newer colors. The solid colors are fine, but I like to throw in a few different ones each year.

Of course, I could not take my camera to the deck without getting a couple of photos of the cats.

From the Yard - Day 2

On my "must do" project list this summer was an upgrade to the goldfish pond. The main need was a new, high quality liner. My husband dug the pond out just a bit, and then we put the new liner down. Still on the list are *put rocks around the edge and *add in potted plants. For now the fish seem very happy in their new home. They have more room to swim. While there is a deep end, they spend most of their time swimming in the shallow areas.

The photos are not the best. Sneaking up on a fish is not easy. I tried bribing them with food. I did manage to get a few decent shots.

From the Yard

I have been completely lax about taking pictures to post, and I like having pictures. Without them I just end up not posting anything. I thought for the rest of this week I would share some photos from my yard.

First up is the oversized teacup planter I got for my birthday. I have wanted one of these for a few years but would never buy one for myself. I am not sure why since I really do adore them. I was happy to finally have one of my very own. I put three "hens" in it that I ordered from eBay.

Several years ago I bought a wire vase to put on the deck. The problem was I never found anything to put in the wire vase. I tried setting a potted plant into it only to have it continually tip over. I left it empty. I hung onto it though. In the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens I finally found the perfect use for the vase. I filled it with moss and stuck a big "hen" in the top. I put in a few "chicks" around the sides. It is not as fancy as what I saw in the magazine, but I trust that it will grow and fill in. In the meantime I am just happy to have found something to go in the vase.

July Daring Bakers - Fresh Fraisier

Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers' host and she challenges us to make Fresh Fraisiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

I know this is only my second Daring Bakers challenge, but it is going to be tough to beat. I made the fraisier over the course of two days. I flavored everything with vanilla. I left out the lemon zest and did not add the almond paste to the top. This was an amazing cake. It was not overly sweet and was a perfect summer dessert. I went with the traditional strawberries as the fruit.

I was pleased with the cake. I did, however, have to bake it in a larger springform pan than the 8" that was suggested. The pastry cream mousse was wonderful. Next time I will double the recipe. I did not have quite enough to fill the middle of the cake, and it sunk in the center just a bit. The flavor was amazing, and it was a hit with my family. I will definitely make this cake again.

Grocery Spending Week 4 & Menu Plan

I am terribly late posting this and will blame it on still being sick with bronchitis. I have literally been sick the entire summer. Fortunately I am not as sick as I was at the beginning of the summer. My grocery spending for the month ended up being slightly over - $4.14 to be exact.

For the final week I spent $53.77. Here is what I got:

barbecue sauce
Boston butt
four steaks
nectarines
mushrooms
cilantro
milk

That is a short list considering the amount spent. The Boston butt was cooked in the crock-pot and divided into five meal-sized portions. The steaks my husband wanted to cook for my birthday. My parents are coming over so we needed four steaks.

I need to point out that most of the cilantro was wasted. I bought it to put in pico de gallo. I decided that cilantro tastes like stink bugs. Now I have never willingly eaten a stink bug. If I did, I feel certain it would taste like cilantro.

After week four my grocery budget went on vacation a bit. Being under the weather and running to the doctor several times a week does absolutely nothing to encourage budgeting at the grocery store. I am going to dust myself off and get back to it next month.

Now for my planned meals for this week:

Homemade pizza - I finally found a crust my darling husband likes
Tomato sandwiches - tomatoes from the garden and homemade bread
Chicken tenders and French fries
Hamburgers and potato chips
Grilled steaks, twice baked potatoes, and some vegetable
Crab egg salad sandwiches
Spaghetti with meatballs, salad, garlic bread

Grocery Challenge - Week 3

I think this will get me on track with my shopping. I am three-fourths of the way through the challenge with this shopping trip. I do not feel that I have cut out much. I am just shopping smarter. I have gotten back to planning my meals and shopping by the sales. I think I may continue this after the four weeks are over.

I was slightly over budget this week; thirty-seven cents over to be exact. I could find that at the bottom of my purse so I am not stressing over it. Here is what I bought:

eight pounds sugar
cereal - 3
ground mustard
marshmallow fluff
turkey bacon
fresh pineapple
strawberries - 2
plums
garlic
baking potatoes
sweet onions
cabbage
Healthy Choice meals - 2
gallon 2% milk
toaster strudel - 4
pint whole milk
sour cream
pint heavy cream
cream cheese
pectin - 3

My total was $57.58. A large portion of what I bought was not for meals this week. I planned my menu around what I had on hand. I am planning to can some Vidalia onion relish and hot pepper jelly. I bought ingredients for those. I have some planned baking and also purchased ingredients for that. It felt good to get these extras and still stay very close to my budget!

Grocery Challenge - Week 2

I had no idea how I was going to stay on budget last week. Not only was I already short on grocery money, but I also had to cook items for a two-day family reunion. I lucked out on the family reunion as I was asked to make cinnamon rolls, crescent rolls, and baked beans. I already had plenty of flour for making the bread items, and pork and beans were on sale last week. The second iffy moment came when my husband went grocery shopping with me and started tossing items into the cart. Amazingly I came in $7.21 under budget. Here is what I bought:

snack chips/crackers - 4
cereal
pork and beans - 5
dill pickles
Mrs. Dash
Nesquik
lettuce
peaches
nectarines
milk
half-gallon ice cream - 2
toaster strudel - 4

I spent $39.60 last week. The best part is that a few of the planned meals from last week were not eaten and can be carried over to this week. I feel like I am in good shape!

Happy Independence Day!

Wishing everyone a happy and safe 4th of July! A big thank you to all of the service men and women. My husband and I have a new adopted soldier through Soldier's Angels. Currently over 1600 soldiers are waiting to be adopted. Follow the link to learn more about the organization and perhaps adopt a soldier of your own!

Grocery Challenge - $25 Per Week Per Person

Several members of an online group and I are taking part in an unofficial grocery challenge based on the All You magazine challenge. The objective is to spend $25 per week per person on food. Since there are two people in my family, I have a budget of $50 per week. I had planned to start my challenge this past Wednesday, June 22. I did not realize that I would end up sick (bronchitis and pharyngitis). My shopping trip was delayed until yesterday. I am counting this spending as for the previous days as well. I planned my menus through next Tuesday though. I have a family reunion coming up this weekend. Part of my spending for the coming week will have to include items to cook for the reunion.

Spending first: $53.19 leaving me $46.81 for next week

I bought:
frozen pizza
chicken ranch wraps (frozen from Schwan's)
potato chips
natural almonds - 3 cans
Mrs. Dash - 2
crackers
candy bars - 6
chex mix - 2
cereal - 2
wheat tortillas
lettuce
tea bags
toaster strudel - 2
ice cream
flour
whipping cream

Meals planned:
pizza and salad
pork tenderloin, au gratin potatoes, okra
tomato sandwiches
spaghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic bread
chicken ranch wraps and French fries
hamburgers and chips
beef stew
bean burritos
tuna pasta salad
breakfast for supper - sausage, grits, eggs, toast
steak, potatoes, squash/peas

June Daring Bakers Challenge

Erica of Erica's Edibles was our host for the Daring Bakers' June Challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

I was a bit nervous about my first challenge and was relieved that it was something with which I was familiar. I have made Baklava before with store bought phyllo. Prior to this challenge I never even considered making my own phyllo.

Phyllo Dough
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and salt. Mix with paddle attachment. Combine water, oil, and vinegar in a small bowl. Add water mixture with mixer on low speed until you get a soft dough. If it appears dry add a little more water. Change to dough hook and let knead for 10 minutes. Remove dough from mixture and knead two more minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and cover with oil. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest two hours.


Rolling out the dough was an adventure. I used a large dowel rod. After watching a video of how to do it properly, I got a bit better. My technique still leaves much to be desired. I managed to get it close to thin enough. I chose to make it in a round pan.

My one complaint about Baklava is that it is super sweet. I know that is basically the definition of Baklava. Still I wanted to try a less sweet creation. I melted Nutella and drizzled over the layers of phyllo. Then I topped it with chopped pecans (already on hand). I only buttered every other layer of phyllo to make it flakier. Here is the pre-baked Baklava.

While the Baklava was baking, I mixed up the syrup. I used less syrup than called for to cut down on the sweetness. I mixed equal parts water and sugar, some honey, and a bit of lemon juice. The lemon juice was a great addition and helped cut the sweetness. Once the Baklava was baked, I poured the cooled syrup over the hot Baklava.

Finally a slice of the finished product. I am happy to say I finished the challenge. I will probably not make phyllo dough on a regular basis. It is nice to know I could if I had to do so. I will definitely make Baklava again but will stick to the store bought phyllo.

Use It Up

Last week was a bit hectic here. I had a sick husband and Vacation Bible School at church. I needed to make yogurt, which I did. I still ended up with a piece of a jar that had to be used up or fed to the chickens. Now I will be honest, my chickens love yogurt. I should really take a picture of them one day with their little beaks covered in yogurt.

Anyway..... I remembered bookmarking a recipe for Strawberry Daiquiri Popsicles at Simply Scratch. I did cheat and use homegrown strawberries that I had frozen. I also used bottled lime juice as I had no fresh limes in the refrigerator. I finally had a chance to eat one this week. They were delicious. I could have used a tad less lime juice, but I will definitely be making these again.

I recently discovered Simply Scratch and love that the recipes use whole foods. I am really trying to get away from using too much processed food in my cooking. The popsicles were a nice healthy treat made for pennies.

Roasted Corn on the Cob

I like corn on the cob, but I never loved it boiled. Cooking it on the grill is not always an option. I saw a recipe in a magazine recently for roasting it in the oven. If it were not so delicious, I would never be tempted to make it as hot as the weather is.

Ears of fresh corn are placed in a buttered dish. They are basted with more butter and then cover with foil. Bake at 400 degree for 30 minutes. Uncover, butter again, and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes. It brings out the sweetness in the corn. This is definitely my favorite way to cook corn on the cob now.

Tomatoes

I would like to say all of these lovely tomatoes came from my garden. They actually came from a nearby pick-your-own farm. A five-gallon bucket cost $9. I had a specific purpose in mind when I purchased a bucket of tomatoes.

I wanted to can some tomatoes. I did keep a few of the tomatoes to eat fresh. The rest ended up here. I had 17 pints of diced tomatoes. They all sealed and look lovely stacked in my pantry.

Now this was not a great savings over purchased diced tomatoes. I do like knowing that these are low-sodium and are a local product. To me it was worth the time and effort involved.

Baby Chicks

We have ten baby chicks which were hatched by two of our hens. They are growing quickly. Hopefully we will have more hens than roosters. We need to wait several more weeks before we can tell.

The two chicks on the left are ours. (The other two belong to my parents.) Our two are white cochins which were hatched by Daphne. She turned out to be not such a good mother and we took the chicks from her shortly after they were born. These are in their ugly phase.

The eight chicks in this picture were hatched by our Mille Fleur hen, Hannah. She was a fantastic mother. We left them with her (in a pen separate from the other chickens) for three weeks. They were not happy to be taken from her but are doing great.